On needles and pins —

Every stitch in a prayer shawl is a prayer.

Yes, Virginia,
there IS a Prayer Shawl Ministry at SacredHeart Parish in Palos Hills! And they want Clips readers to hear about their work and joy.
The group is fairly new — just three years old
— but it has more than 30 active members who
have made more than 1,200 shawls for parishioners,
family and friends. They’ve also gifted Little Company of Mary Hospice, Palos HospitalPsychiatric Dept., Palos Infusion TherapyDept. (dialysis and chemo) and AdvocateChildren’s Hospital. “Prayer” shawl means
every stitch is a prayer for the future recipient
and for each other.

The group also hosted an ecumenical retreat
day last year, with 72 Protestant and Catholic
women. (It was presented by the two women
who founded the ministry in 1998 in Connecticut.)
Their mini-retreat this year was Feb. 26.
The Sacred Heart stitchers have shared their experience
by helping two other parishes start their
own prayer shawl ministry.

Twice a year Sacred Heart parishioners donate
to this local labor of love and the ladies give any
extra yarn to a nearby church. If you’re a group
of women who would like tips on starting a ministry
like this, a parish group that’s already established,
or an individual who wants more information,
call Diane O’Brien at (708)
824-1362.

Help a vet —

“Honor Flight Chicago” is
an organization that treats WWII veterans (and
others) to a flight to Washington, D.C., a full
day of visiting its patriotic monuments, and a
hero’s return to Chicago, all expenses paid.
There are still about 21,000 World War II vets
in the Chicago area, average age 88. Time is
fleeting. It’s a VIP flight with one-on-one assistance,
wheelchairs, the whole nine yards. If you
have a relative who’s a vet, check it out at honorflightchicago.
org. Everything is donated by
patriotic citizens who love our vets, and 92 cents
of each dollar goes to the vets’ flights. There are
also projects surrounding the event that can involve
school kids and average Chicago volunteers
who greet the vets as they return after a
day of remembrance of their military service
and of their fallen comrades.

Searching —

A committee of parishioners
from two former parishes in the arch — St.Peter Canisius Church (W. North Ave.), 1932-
2007, and St. John of God (W. 52nd St.), 1913-
1992 — are planning a combined reunion in
2013. They’ll celebrate and support the construction
of St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Lake County. St. Peter Canisius’ statues,
pews and other interior details and the facade of St. John of God Church have come together in
an architectural triumph to form the newest
church in the arch. To be on the reunion mailing
list, email your vital information to BarbaraBarrett at bbarr30874@aol.com.

Let’s hear it for the pope —

Pope in Ephesus, Turkey,
2006.

Comments
on the papacy these days range from sublime
to scurrilous. Andrew Klavan,
mystery writer, humorist,
political
satirist, non-
Catholic, offered a
sincere tribute to Pope Benedict, his
theology, and his
books (specifically
his Jesus ofNazareth series) in
a recent online column.
He says this
pope may be “the
last great man Europe
will produce.”
Klavan uses one of
the popular nickname/
accolades for
the holy father, “B-16.” Pope Benedict has also
been lovingly known as our “German Shepherd,”
“Papa Ratzi" and my favorite, “BigBen.” . . . Father George Rutler, pastor, author
and EWTN lecturer, tells the story of Benedictthe Brave: “Rather like St. Francis of Assisi going to meet with the caliph of Egypt clad only
in simplicity, Benedict XVI refused to wear a
bullet-proof vest when he went to Turkey [in
2006], turning the anger of many to respect.” . . . Stay tuned to Relevant Radio (950 AM) for Vatican news you can rely on. Father RockyHoffman says consider the station your “smoke
detector” during the upcoming selection of our
new pontiff.

Today’s martyrs —

Bishop FultonSheen coined the terms: “wet” and “dry” martyrs.
“Wet” are those who shed their blood for
their faith. “Dry” martyrs are those tortured by
totalitarian regimes, whose “Each day, hour and
minute was a profession of faith.” One such victim
is 65-year-old Father Thadeus NguyenVan Ly in Vietnam. He has spent more than 15
years in prison as a human rights activist, with
brief periods of freedom. His current sentence is
eight years for starting an Internet petition for
human rights. Father Van Ly has been nominated
for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize by US members
of Congress Chris Smith and Zoe Lofgren.
Pray for him, and other persecuted
Christians — many of them “wet
martyrs” in Africa and the Middle
East. See a video of Father Ly
at: www.youtube.com/watch?v
=StSZc6h7s1M.